BIOL 530
We will use the latitudinal increase in diversity towards the equator as a launching point to explore how diversity forms, is maintained, and disappears, and why we find such dramatic variation in diversity around the world.
Course discussions will focus on both evolutionary and ecological perspectives of diversity, and we will review various hypotheses to explain latitudinal diversity gradients.
Class schedule classes by Zoom
Tuesdays 10:00am - 11:30am & Thursdays 8:30 - 10:00am
Week 1 Tuesday, January 11, 2022 Introduction & complex questions in science
Thursday, January 13, 2022 Strong inference
Week 2 Tuesday, January 18, 2022 Multiple working hypotheses
Thursday, January 20, 2022 Biological patterns across latitude
Week 3 Tuesday, January 25, 2022 A framework for studying diversity gradients
Thursday, January 27, 2022 The latitudinal gradient through deep time
Week 4 Tuesday, February 1, 2022 Latitudinal Variation in Cladogenesis & Extinction
Student presentations begin
Thursday, February 3, 2022 Janzen's Hypothesis
Week 5 Tuesday, February 8, 2022 Asynchrony of Seasons Hypothesis
Thursday, February 10, 2022 Shifting Ranges Hypothesis
Week 6 Tuesday, February 15, 2022 Biotic vs Abiotic Selection Hypothesis
Thursday, February 17, 2022 Geographic Area Hypothesis
Week 7 Reading week
Week 8 Tuesday, March 1, 2022 Species Energy - Rates of Evolution Hypothesis
Thursday, March 3, 2022 Species Energy - Number of Individuals Hypothesis
Week 9 Tuesday, March 8, 2022 Glacial Extinctions Hypothesis
Thursday, March 10, 2022 Tropical Niche Conservatism Hypothesis
Week 10 Tuesday, March 15, 2022 Density-dependent Mortality Hypothesis
Thursday, March 17, 2022 Climate Stability - Niche Overlap Hypothesis
Week 11 Tuesday, March 22, 2022 Climate Stability - Population Size Hypothesis
Thursday, March 24, 2022 Biotic Interactions - Ecological Breadth Hypothesis
Week 12 Tuesday, March 29, 2022 Evolutionary Time Hypothesis
Thursday, March 31, 2022 Environmental Harshness Hypothesis
Week 13 Tuesday, April 5, 2022 Geometric Constraints Hypothesis
Thursday, April 7, 2022 Wrap-up discussion.
Grade breakdown
Presentation of hypothesis & predictions 30% instructions & rubric
Co-presentation of critical assessment 15% instructions & rubric
Major written paper 35% instructions & rubric
In-class participation 20% instructions & rubric
There are no formal exams in this class.
Class readings (I will send out readings each week by email)
Week 1 Tuesday, January 11, 2022 no readings
Thursday, January 13, 2022 Platt 1964 Science 146:347-353
Week 2 Tuesday, January 18, 2022 Chamberlin 1965 Science 148:754-759
Thursday, January 20, 2022 Hillebrand 2004 American Naturalist 163:192-211
Week 3 Tuesday, January 25, 2022 Jablonski et al. 2006 Science 314: 102-106
Thursday, January 27, 2022 Mannion et al. 2014. TREE 29:42-50
Week 4 Student presentations begin
Tuesday, February 1, 2022 Weir & Schluter 2007 Science 315:1574-1576 &
Martin et al. 2007 J. Evol. Biol. 20:930-936
Thursday, February 3, 2022 Ghalambor et al. 2006 Integr. & Comp. Biol. 46:5-17
Week 5 Tuesday, February 8, 2022 Martin et al. 2009 Ideas Ecol. Evol. 2:9-17.
Thursday, February 10, 2022 Dynesius & Jansson 2000 PNAS 97:9115-9120
Week 6 Tuesday, February 15, 2022 Schemske 2009 book chapter
Thursday, February 17, 2022 Rosenzweig 1992 J. Mammalogy 73:715-730
Week 7 Reading week
Week 8 Tuesday, March 1, 2022 Allen et al. 2006 PNAS 103:9130-9135
Thursday, March 3, 2022 Wright 1983 Oikos 41:496-506 &
Currie & Paquin 1987 Nature 329:326-327
Week 9 Tuesday, March 8, 2022 Adams & Woodward 1989 Nature 339:699–701 &
McGlone 1996 Global Ecol. Biogeogr. Letters 5:309-314
Thursday, March 10, 2022 Wiens & Donaghue 2004 TREE 19:639-644
Week 10 Tuesday, March 15, 2022 Hille Ris Lambers et al. 2002 Nature 417:732-735
Thursday, March 17, 2022 Klopfer & MacArthur 1961 Am. Naturalist 95:223-226
Week 11 Tuesday, March 22, 2022 Connell & Orias 1964 Am. Naturalist 98:399-414
Thursday, March 24, 2022 Dyer et al. 2007 Nature 448:696-699
Week 12 Tuesday, March 29, 2022 Fischer 1960 Evolution 14:64-81 (excerpt only)
Thursday, March 31, 2022 Brown & Gibson 1983 (excerpt from book) &
Thiery 1982 Biological Reviews 57:671-710 (excerpt)
Week 13 Tuesday, April 5, 2022 Collwell & Lee 2000 TREE 15:70-76
Thursday, April 7, 2022 Jetz & Fine 2012 PLoS Biology 10:e1001292
